Grandma
by Wevadryn
Summary: Arnold's grandma has died. Someone is there to comfort him, but when someone sees the acts of kindness, how far will people go to spread romours?


DISCLAIMER: Well, what'da know? I don't own 'Hey Arnold' so....get off my case! I own this story, though, so if you want to take it, ask permission first :)  
  
Author's Note: Helga has NOT confessed to Arnold, so this doesn't take place after the movie, or anything. @_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@  
  
Everytime I looked at that rosebush, I thought of blood. It was the colour of the roses that made me think that way. I started doing this every morning since Grandma had died. All I had left was my grandpa, and his cooking was worse than hers. I wished she was still here. I thought back to the day...why did she have to go on that elephant ride? The circus people said that the ride would be safe- but they were wrong. The elephant went out of control, and Grandma flew off. She had a major concution, and died a day later. Her funeral was in about three weeks, so I had a long time to mourn before saying my final goodbyes.  
  
I walked out of the small garden, and back into the bourding house where Mr. Hyun, and Mr. Kakashka were heard arguing about who spilt milk all over the floor of the bathroom. I groaned at the noise, and ran up to my room before I got another headache. It was like all the boarders had forgotten that grandma had died. I didn't see how they could notice that there wasn't someone running around doing something crazy like running around on a fake horse screaming , "Howwwwwddyyy, stranger! Hu-YA! Giddy-yup tassie, see if you can fetch the bone!" Grandpa obviously was in pain emotionally, and now spent most of his time down in his 'ex-hidden' bathroom that had been uncovered by everyone when we were looking for that one ghost that was missing his glasses (if I remember correctly.) I hadn't told anyone at the school. After all, she only died about two days ago. I decided that I needed a little fresh air, so I put some UV-Protection sunglasses on (It was really bright outside), and went out of my room, and out the front door of the boarding house. I decided that I would walk around the neighborhood, or something. I walked around the corner of the boarding house, when 'BAM!!!' I ran into someone. I rubbed my head, and looked up to see who it was.  
  
"Arnold!? I mean, stop running into me! Why does this always happen anyway?" Helga had a puzzled look on her face, and we both had to think about that. Why DID we run into each other all the time? Hm...maybe just one of those 'unexplained mysteries.'  
  
"Um, sorry Helga. About the answer, I wouldn't know it. I don't know why we always run into each other." I noticed that my voice's tone was flat, and she also had noticed it.  
  
"What's wrong, football head? Boarders gettin' on your nerves again?" She chuckled after that remark. Not evilly, just, a good old fashioned chuckle.  
  
"Nah, it isn't that, Helga, it's just..." I could feel my eyes start to water up a little bit, and was lucky that I had the sunglasses on. She would probably laugh her head off at me if she saw me crying, or even water up. I decided to continue, despite the knot in my throat. "Helga, I have...h-have to go." I felt the knot come more up into my throat, and my voice was starting to crack. I walked past Helga, but she interrupted my pace when I heard her.  
  
"Wait, Arnold! What is wrong? I can tell there is something wrong." She ran up to me, and said, "Now, tell me what is wrong, Arnoldo, before Old Betsy has to hear your story instead!" Why did she always threaten me to tell her stuff? Oh well, might as well tell. If I didn't...who know's what would really happen?  
  
"Helga, it's just..." I felt a tear go down my cheek, and I wiped it off quickly. The sunglasses were getting on my nerves, so I just took them off anyway, and looked into her blue eyes. Was that?...it was. She felt sorry for me. She was sympathetic. I couldn't believe it, but decided to spill it before she punched me out, or something. "..It's just that my...g-grandma died...t-two days...ago." I turned around so she didn't see me crying. I felt my shoulders shaking as I sobbed, and heard a sympathetic Helga speak up behind me.  
  
"Arnold, don't worry...it...it will get better. It always does...for you." I turned around again, and she caught sight of me crying. God, why did I turn around?! How stupid was I to do that? Now she would tease me till the end of the school year. "Arnold, please, you... don't need to start crying." was all I heard her say. It wasn't mean, at all. It was like she felt my pain, somehow, even though she hadn't lost anyone in her family. I couldn't look at her anymore. The embarresment was too much for me, so I looked down to the cement that I stood on. Suddenly, I was embraced. Was it really what I felt? Did I really feel human arms surround my shaking body? Yes, I did. I looked up to the person who was hugging me, and saw that it was someone who I least suspected to hug me- Helga Pataki. I put my arms around her, also, and we both stood there as I slightly cried on her shoulder. She didn't even push me away. Was this really happening? Me, hugging Helga? The bully of the fifth grade, trying to comfort me? We both stayed that way for a few minutes, before I pulled away. I was still sniffling, and she looked at me and said, "Well, um...I have to go, Arnoldo. BOB wants me to get something from the store...soo, guess I have to get goin'." I heard Helga say a few seconds after I pulled away. She rolled her eyes when she said 'BOB' and I wondered why she didn't like her family that much. If they died, I'm sure she would regret even saying anything bad about them in the first place...I know I regreted saying mean stuff about my grandma.  
  
Then I thought about something else. What if she was going to tell everyone in the school? Oh well. They will only be treating me special, and some might use the fact of her death against me, using it to tease me, or something. I was firstly surprised that Helga hadn't even teased me when I brought up the death of my grandma.  
  
"Yeh, I also have to go. Bye Helga." I said to her. She nodded, and walked off in the direction of the butcher shop. I wondered if the moment that we had before was real, and finnally decided to confirm it. I also found I was walking off towards the bourding house. Maybe all I needed was a comfort for my problems, and I had found it when I encountered Helga, and cried infront of her. When I went into the bourding house, I ran back up to my room, and dialed Gereld's number.  
  
"Hello...Gereld?" I asked, when I heard who I thought to be him, answer the phone.  
  
"Hey, Man. Wassup? Is somethin' botherin' ya?" I heard him ask.  
  
"Nothin much is up. It is just...I met up with Helga today, and she saw me, and well...since my Grandma died, she saw me start to cry, and she hugged me. It was really wierd Gereld." I hadn't told Gereld before, that my grandma had died, but in order to tell him the whole story, I knew I would have to include that part.  
  
"Whoa, man, so...You told HELGA that your grandma had died, before you told ME?! *sigh* I can't believe this." Gereld said, a little dissapointed.  
  
"Yah, but....she noticed something was wrong, and she threatned that she'd beat me up if I didn't tell her." There was a long pause, and he spoke again.  
  
"Well...watch your back, Arnold. She might try to stab you in the back or something, or tease you about your grandma." Gereld said.  
  
"Yeh, I thought about that Gereld, but...she seemed like, I don't know...like she understood somehow, and that this kind of thing she knew not to tease me about." There was another long pause, and I then heard Gereld's mom yell that dinner was ready, so he said he had to go so we both hung up after saying bye. It was around 7 o'clock, and I heard grandpa yell that it was dinner time.  
  
"Um, Grandpa, I'm not very hungry tonight." I yelled down to him. I heard the commosion downstairs with mostly all the boarders coming down to eat dinner. I couldn't stand to eat something else he would make, so I just ate an apple out of the fridge, and ran back up into my room.  
  
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The next morning, I ran down into the kitchen, and ate a bowl of cereal. I decided to take a long, refreshing shower, and then put on different clothes. I was still a little disturbed, so I went to the lake so I could calm myself down, and not break down like I had done a day earlier. As I arrived at the lake, I lay down on the grass near it, and closed my eyes. After all, it was still early in the morning and I was still a little drowsy.  
  
I opened up my eyes a little bit to keep myself awake, and slightly saw a pink object in the distance. I opened up my eyes more, and focused on the pink figure.  
  
'Helga' was the only thought that popped into my head. I sat up, and saw that she was pretty far away, but I could see her curled up in a little ball, rocking back and forth holding her knees to her chest. I stood up and moved to a part around the lake where if I went up to her, I would be able to sneak up behind her. As I went up behind her (she still hadn't noticed me) I heard whimpering sounds. Was she crying? I wasn't sure.  
  
"Helga?" I was finnally able to choke out. She whirled around, and whiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheek.  
  
She quickly turned back around, her back facing me, and said, "What do YOU want, Arnoldo?"  
  
"Um...nothing. Helga...Helga, why are you crying?" I asked. She wouldn't respond, so I decided that force was the only way to get her to tell me. Helga never cried...atleast to the bit of my knowledge. "Helga, LOOK at me!" I commanded. She hadn't expected me to say something like that to her so forcefully, so she turned around, and narrowed her eyes at me.  
  
Her cheek- was stained with tears, and under that stain was a- was a bruise. "Helga, who did that to you?" I asked, concern in my voice. She touched her cheek, which reminded her it was there, and turned back around to look at the lake. I sat down on the grass beside her, and leaned over to see her cheek. "Helga, PLEASE, tell me...WHO did that to you?!" I asked again, with a bit more force.  
  
"It's NONE of your buisness, football head." I heard her mutter. She turned her head the other way, to where I couldn't see it.  
  
"Did your father do this to you Helga?" She didn't answer. "HELGA!" I yelled at her. I didn't want anyone to be hurting her, even if she WAS a bully.  
  
"YA, football head, if it will answer your nagging question, it WAS Bob who did this. Now get off my case." Helga said, coldly.  
  
"How did he...why?" I was finnally able to say. She looked back to me, and looked straight into my eyes.  
  
"Well, let's just say that he has always been the abusive type...if it wasn't physical, it was mental." She looked back to the lake, and I heard her sniffle. She then looked back at me, and smiled. "He uh....got mad at me for refusing to make his dinner." She then frowned. I shook my head at her. I was disgusted with what her father had done to her, and I finnally spoke up again.  
  
"You...you didn't deserve this, Helga." She looked back up to me.  
  
"Yes, Arnold...I..I did. Everytime I treat someone bad, I have deserved something worse than the last time I would treat someone bad. I deserve everything I get, even if it is from a different source," she wasn't done, I could tell, so I waited for her to continue. "and Arnold, I..I'm sorry about those times that I hurt you. I mean, I know your Grandma just died, and everything, so I know how living right now must be kind of hard for you."  
  
I looked back down to the grass, and remembered my Grandma. Oh why did she have to bring that subject up again? I started to feel my eyes water up, and she noticed she had said the wrong thing.  
  
"Arnold, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." I heard her gulp, and she went to sit down infront of me. Damn, why did she keep seeing me cry? It was embarrasing enough yesterday, NOW today?  
  
"Helga, no...It..it's not y-your fault." I squeaked out. She knew that it was, that she had brought up the wrong thing to say, and I saw the sympathy and regret form in her eyes. Why was she being so nice to me? OH ya...my grandma. That was why.  
  
I started to cry harder, and I heard Helga scoot closer to me. "Arnold..." was all she said to be able to get my attention. I looked up to her, and she then hugged me again. This time, I started hugging her faster than I did yesterday. Today, I trusted her. She wouldn't push me away..after all, SHE was the one who decided to hug me.  
  
~~@~@~@~~@~@~@~~@~@~@~MEANWHILE~@~@~@~~@~@~@~~@~@~@~~@  
  
"Oh my gosh....Is dat Helga...and Arnold, huggin'?" Stinky said to Sid, with a curious voice. They were both behind a bush, playing with the ducks that had migrated from the lake. From that distance, they could see all that was going on with Arnold and Helga.  
  
"Stinky...Stinky, ya...that IS! Oh my god, we have to tell someone! This is WAY too big to keep to ourselves! The bully, and the nice guy...HUGGING!" They both burst out laughing, and ran off.  
  
~~@~@~@~~@~@~@~~@~@~@~Back to Arnold and Helga~@~@~@~~@~@~@~~@~@~@~~@  
  
Helga let go of me, and I pulled back also. "Um, Helga?" I said, a little hesitant.  
  
"Yah?" She responded.  
  
"Um..Thanks. For, you know...supporting me, and all." She smiled at this comment, and responded, saying, "No problem, Arnoldo." I was used to the names she called me, so when she said it in a nice tone, it obviously wasn't meant to be offending.  
  
"Helga, I want to know something, though. Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?" I asked out of curiosity. I had to know.  
  
"Well, I guess...because it isn't everyday that your Grandma...you know...passes on. Plus, I know I need to stop being mean and everything, but, there is more to that than you recognize." Helga said in response. What did she mean by the last sentance? There was more to it than I recognized?  
  
"What do you mean, Helga? Is there something you aren't telling me?" I frowned. She looked at me, and grinned. Then, she nodded knowingly. which answered my question. So, she wasn't telling me something. Maybe I should just leave her alone, or something and she would tell me later.  
  
"Well...ok, Helga. You know, though, that I will find out sooner or later." She frowned Unless you are too dense to accually recognize itthen, looked down to the ground. She then nodded again in response, and said, "Yah, Arnold. I guess...Unless you are too dense to accually recognize it." Now I was even more confused. I was dense? How, though? Well, looks like I won't get anything out of her.  
  
"Helga, I gatta go, now. See you in school tommorow?" She nodded, and got up off of the ground, as did I. "Bye Arnoldo." She said, in response. We then both headed home. It was only about 11 o'clock in the morning, so I still had alot of things to do. First, I would try and find out what Helga meant. Maybe Pheobe would tell me something.  
  
I headed to the phone in the bourding house, and picked it up. I dialed Pheobe's number, and held the phone up to my ear.  
  
"Hello, Pheobe Hyerdhal speaking, who may I ask is calling?" I heard Pheobe answer.  
  
"Um, Hey Pheobe. This is Arnold." I responded.  
  
"Oh, why hello Arnold. What is it that you are calling me for today?" There was a short silence after Pheobe said this, and I interrupted the silence.  
  
"Well, Pheobe, I just saw Helga, and all, and she told me something. I asked her if she wasn't telling me something, and she said that she wasn't, and then I said I would find out. After I said that, she said 'Unless you are too dense to accually recognize it.' Am I really dense?" I noticed that she had to think about that. Did everyone really think I was dense?  
  
"Um....wellll..Arnold, your right. She isn't telling you something, and...and I can't tell you what it is for high-classified friendship reasons. But About the dense part...well, let's just say you don't recognize things that easily." Pheobe said. Did she just say, in another way, that I WAS dense? Ugh...well, atleast she was trying to be truthful.  
  
"Um, ok...well, thanks Pheobe. See you tommorow in school." I said, in defeat.  
  
"Ok, sure Arnold. Have a nice day! Bye." Pheobe said. She was so happy to help anyone, it was unbelievable. I'm glad she is this way, though.  
  
I dropped the phone with a heavy sigh, and ran up to my room. I slammed the door, and layed face down onto my pillow. My mind was empty. How was all of this happening? Grandma dying, Helga acting nice, and the boarders not noticing her death? It seemed like for every moment of happiness, there were 10 more moments of sadness.  
  
~~clonk...clonk....clonk~~ What kept doing that? I got up off of my pillow to see what was clonking on my window. When I got there, little pebbles were being threwn. Who was it? 


End file.
